Loathing Him and Loving Her
by erisedxdesire
Summary: This is a Lily and James fic, that spans from the summer after their 5th year and all the way to their deaths. Eh... Somewhat abandoned.
1. Prelude to Another Bad Beginning

- Chapter #1 -

_Prelude to Another Bad Beginning_

* * *

_Lily's POV_

I sat on my bed waiting for my best friend Gemma to owl me. After spending two whole weeks with my horribly boring muggle family, I was eager to accept the twins' invitation that had arrived only moments before to spend a week at their Godric's Hollow mansion. I mean - I love my family and all - scratch Petunia, but being _entirely_ cut off from the magical world for two weeks straight was torture.

And that was why I hadn't even taken the time to walk downstairs to let my parents know I was leaving. I just went to my door and yelled quickly, "Mum, Dad, I'm spending a week at Gemma's! I'll owl you before I come back!" before replying via owl. It's not like my family would miss me too much anyway; they spend ten months without me every year! Another week wouldn't kill em'.

I decided to quit lazing around and pack my clothes. Before five minutes was up, I was all packed, and Gemma's jet-black owl, Onyx, soared through by bedroom window and perched on my bedpost. I got the parchment that was tied to her leg and read it.

_Lily,_

_We're sending someone to apparate you here, since you can't yet and we've got no other way to get you here at the moment (Dad's away at the Ministry so we can't get a portkey)._

_He'll be there soon (probably 5-10 minutes). Oh – and make sure nothing, er… **embarrassing** is around; he'll be apparating to your room, so as not to bother your family._

_I can't wait for you to get here!_

_Love, Gemma_

_PS – **Please** don't murder me, Lils! It's the only way we can get you here! Sorry!_

I looked at the parchment in confusion and straightened up my room, as Gemma had instructed, while contemplating the letter. What was Gemma sorry for? Who was coming to apparate me to Gemma's? And _why_ did I need to clean my room? As far as I knew Gemma wasn't a neat-freak, especially considering the disturbing state that her section of the dormitory at Hogwarts usually was.

Just after I'd picked up the last moldy ham sandwich off my floor, I knew why Gemma had apologized. A loud _pop!_ signified someone apparating close by - into my room to be exact.

Eager for answers, I turned around to face none other than _James Potter_. James Potter – the infamous Marauder, the Hogwarts Heart-throb (well, to just about everyone except Gemma and I), the star Quidditch seeker, and _my nemesis_, my opponent, the one person that I absolutely _loathed_.

Gemma had sent _James egotistical-conceded-bighead-that-thinks-the-world-revolves-around-him Potter_ to pick me up! I was going to _kill_ her.

* * *

_James' POV_

My best friend Sirius Black rolled over with laughter as I slowly approached the ground on my Nimbus 1590. I had no idea why he was laughing so hard, though; _I_ certainly didn't find it very funny when the fly flew into my mouth! But of course, I didn't really have much time to contemplate on whether the situation was amusing or not; I was busy choking up the stupid little bug.

"Prongs, Wow! That had to be even funnier than the time you got hit in the _eye_ by a fly, and flew straight into Lucius Malfoy!" Sirius said to me as I hopped of my broom.

"Oh _ha ha_," I said sarcastically. "Shut it, Padfoot, or I'll be forced to inform Hogwarts of a certain incident involving you, Wormtail, and a bit of mistletoe, that happened sometime around last Christmas!"

That definitely shut him up. Poor Sirius was still scarred from the time he'd had to kiss Peter Pettigrew under enchanted mistletoe. Once you're under enchanted mistletoe, you can't leave from under it until you've kissed the person who got stuck there with you. In Sirius' case, this person was their chubby little friend, Peter.

Padfoot grimaced as he remembered. "Well don't take your anger out on _me_! It was _their_ fault anyway!" Sirius motioned to the Waters twins, Gemma and Jenna, standing at the other end of the Potters' Quidditch pitch in Godric's Hollow. The twins would be in 6th year with James and Sirius after the summer was up.

Sirius had made a point. It _was_ the twins' fault that I nearly choked to death on a stupid fly. Padfoot and I had been having a perfectly innocent Quidditch practice before those two showed up.

"James! Siri!" they'd yelled from below, "We need a favor!" I opened up my mouth to tell them to hold on, that I was just about to catch the Snitch, when it happened, 'The Great Fly Incident', as Padfoot had so kindly dubbed it.

So, naturally, I walked over to them. I needed someone to take my anger out on and, seeing as it was their fault that I was even angry in the first place, they seemed to be the perfect candidates.

As I took a breath and prepared myself to start my rampage, the twins flinched and used the only phrase they could to calm me down. "It involves Lily!" they yelled simultaneously. All three of us let out a breath we hadn't realized we'd been holding as the use of the name 'Lily' took its effect on me. I went into what could probably be described as a trance. Sirius called it 'The Lily Evans Drooling Session', which I wasn't too fond of.

_Lily Evans_, the only girl I loved, had _ever_ loved. She was the most beautiful and utterly perfect girl at Hogwarts, and ironically, one of very few that wouldn't fall for my undeniably irresistible charm. In fact, she hated my guts, which was completely horrible; I was _completely_ in love and _obsessed_ with her.

"What about Lily?" I asked. The girls smiled. They obviously knew that I had a soft spot for Evans. They knew I'd do anything for her; I'd do anything to win her.

"We need you to apparate Lily to our place. Please, please, please, Jamesie!" Gemma begged me. Begging wasn't really necessary, but I enjoyed it all the same. _Wait a minute!_ How did _they_ know I could apparate at 16? "We have connections," was all they said when I asked. That worried me, but I brushed it off. I'd find out later. Right now I had Lily Evans business to worry about.

"Please James! You'll get to apparate to Lily's _room_."

I quickly agreed. I'd get to apparate to Lily's room! Finally! Gemma scribbled a note and sent it off to Lily while I went and took a shower. I couldn't let my dear Lily see me all sweaty, now could I?

Once I was all ready, I came outside and met the twins and Sirius. "You ready?" Jenna asked. I assured her that I was and breathed in deep.

I was nervous, no matter how calm, cool, and collected I looked on the outside. Lily did _loathe_ me, after all. I wasn't sure how happy she'd be to see me in her bedroom. No matter how many times the rest of the Marauders told her, she still refused to believe that I actually liked her. She still thought that all the times I'd asked her out over the years were to torture her, or prank her or something. It hurt that she didn't trust me, but she did have fairly good reasons.

I sighed as I remembered all of the horrid things I'd done to her over the years. She particularly hated the whole incident in which her hair was charmed a nasty baby-poop-green color for a month, and the time I used Madame Stickin's Extra-Super-Sticky Potion to glue her head to her pillow, and… The list goes on and on.

"_James!_" Padfoot snapped me out of my thoughts. "You can't just do these girls a favor without payment, now can you?" Sirius had a point, once again, even though being in Lily's bedroom was plenty enough payment for me.

"Okay, then. You two have got to put in good word for me with Lily." The twins exchanged amused glances. "Okay, James. Whatever. Just go get her."

"Wait! He's not done!" Sirius shouted, and whispered something in my ear. A smile split across my face. Padfoot was a _genius!_

"You two have got to get your mother to remove the protective charms that are placed around your rooms," I told them. The twins exchanged glances again, though this time they weren't amused, but worried.

"Don't worry! We won't hex you or anything!" I assured them. "We can't. Remember, no wand magic outside of Hogwarts until we're 17?"

"We just want to be able to drop by whenever we want, to… talk," Sirius added. His comment only worsened the girls' expressions.

I knew they didn't want to, but the girls had no choice but to agree, if they wanted Lily, and they did. The four of us shook hands, and then I took a deep breath and apparated over to Lily's house, still alarmingly nervous.

* * *

Well, that's it! Chapter 1! I hope you all liked it. R&R, please!  
::::Savanna::::


	2. Another Bad Beginning

- Chapter #2 -

_Another Bad Beginning_

* * *

Lily stood by her bed with her mouth hanging open, while James looked around her room. It didn't reflect her personality at all; it was all _plain_. As he walked around, trying to find some trace of Lily's life in that room, he took a wrong step and toppled over onto a trashcan. Unfortunately for James, he had landed in the same trashcan that Lily had recently thrown a good deal of molded ham sandwiches in.

"Eurgh!" he shouted as he picked a green substance off his shirt. "What is this rubbish, Lils?"

Lily felt horrible. She couldn't stand James, but even _he_ didn't deserve to bathe in moldy ham. "I'm sorry, Potter," she said, flinching. Apologizing to James wasn't something that came very easily to her; she had too much pride. "My mum won't stop giving me these horrid sandwiches, even though she knows I hate ham. So I sort-of developed this habit of throwing them on the floor and ignoring them, and Gemma just owled me, telling me to clean up, so-" Lily rambled on, pacing across the room until she, too slipped, on a piece of ham that had flown astray when James fell over. She landed right next to James.

"POTTER!" she yelled, and hit him across the head. "Hey!" he replied, "It's not _my_ fault you're a slob! YOU shouldn't have left all this crud in your room to begin with!"

"If _you_ hadn't apparated into _my_ trash can," she exaggerated, "_this_ wouldn't have happened. Now we've both got mold on our bums. This is all your fault, Potter!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is TOO!" Lily shouted – it was a wonder her parents hadn't come up yet to see what was going on – and shoved James' head into the trashcan.

"EVANS! You'll pay for that! You'd better be happy I don't have a wand with me right now, because I'd be _very_ tempted to break the Underage Wizardry rules!" James dove at her. They fought for a full 10 minutes, until James got fed up. He grabbed Lily's things and apparated the two to Gemma's house, just as they heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

* * *

_Lily's POV_

As I walked into Gemma's mansion from her front yard, I was absolutely _fuming_. Stupid Potter had covered me in mold – not to mention tried to kiss me (again) while he was at it! Now I stunk of molded ham and Potter.

I looked on the bright side. "At least I'm not the only one!" Potter happened to have even more of the horrid mold on him than I did, and he definitely deserved it. He not only had it all over his body, but in his face _and_ down his shirt. Oh… I had made _sure_ of that. He squirmed awkwardly; the mold down his shirt must have been getting to him.

I chuckled as he attempted to pick chunks of Merlin-knows-what out of his "oh-so-perfect" jet-black hair. No girls would want to run their fingers through it now that it was temporarily dyed green; it was almost as greasy as Snape's. I didn't mind his hair being greasy, though. He deserved it! All I'd ever wanted to do with it was yank it off his head anyway.

I was relieved that I wouldn't be the _only_ one walking into the Waters mansion covered in ham, and _especially_ relieved that James was worse off than I was. The two of us walked up to the door and James rang the bell.

I decided that I might as well make good use of the time it took for one of our friends to get to the door, so I ranted at him. "Thanks a load, Potter!" I yelled. "Now I'm standing on the porch of a bloody _mansion_, covered in crud from my shoulders down! I probably look like some crazed hobo, all because of _you_. You just _had_ to apparate to my – WAIT!" A smile split across my face as I realized something. "You _apparated_ to my house! You're only 16!"

"Good to know you keep track of my age, love," James replied cockily. I gave him one of what Sirius called my "Avada Kedavra glares". He almost cringed, but caught himself just in time.

I had cornered him! I'd finally gotten blackmail on him! "Potter, how could you _apparate_ to my house without your apparating license? We all know that you can only get one of those when you're 17 or older." I smiled; I could _definitely_ use this against him!

_

* * *

James' POV_

I didn't pay attention to any of Lily's rude comments and accusations as we waited for someone to come down and open the door. I was paying too much attention to her legs; "Man!" I thought, "That girl looks good in _anything_!" Even the molded ham looked good on her. She made it look downright _sexy_!

Well, at least I _didn't_ pay attention, until I heard the word "apparate". Then I snapped back from my trance, wrenching my eyes away from the gorgeous figure in front of me, and pretending to focus on a shrub.

"Potter," she said, "how could _you_ apparate to my house without your apparating license? We all know that you can only get one of those when you're 17 or older."

"_Oh no_," I thought. She had me cornered! I tried to appear collected and calm, but my fear got the better of me. "Er… um, well ya see…" I stammered. It was no use! She'd figure out my secret. I thought of poor Remus, being shunned from the rest of the population at Hogwarts. Tears started to come to my eyes, but I fought them off. Luckily, though, I was interrupted from my mourning for Remus, because I couldn't have held out much longer, and Lily would've seen me crying. _That_ would've been a huge blow to my pride.

"Oy! James! What happened to you two?" Sirius was standing at the door. I could've kissed him! I had been _extremely_ close to having to tell Lily about he, Peter, and I being illegal animagi. As part of the transformation, we'd all had to learn to apparate. I had no doubt that the 3 of us would've been hauled off to Azkaban in under an hour if Padfoot hadn't opened that door.

Sirius took notice of the grin on my face. "You look happy to see me, mate! What's been going on here? Are you two _hiding_ something?" he hinted and winked at Lily. She didn't take that too well.

Lily gave Sirius a glare that would've sent a Slytherin to their knees, but he wasn't affected. The two of us had grown used to Lily's "Avada Kedavra glares", as we'd referred to them as over the years. After all, we _were_ the only two people in all of Hogwarts that had the privilege of witnessing these lethal glares on a daily basis. They were _constantly _directed at us.

"Just let us in, Black," she said through clenched teeth.

"Okay, okay then, doll! But let me get the two of you some towels first. You look bloody _awful_! Mrs. W would murder me if I let you in the house like that," Sirius replied. "I get the whole story once you're all cleaned up, though!" he shouted as he ran to get towels for Lily and I.

* * *

Sirius paced back and forth across the room that he and James shared at the Potter mansion in Godric's Hollow. He'd been extremely twitchy ever since the two of them had left Gemma's. 

James was nervous and jumpy, too, but for a different reason than he assumed Sirius to be. James was nervous because of Lily's threat to alter _certain_ parts of his anatomy with a shrinking potion should he or Sirius come anywhere near her again during her stay at Gemma's house.

Sirius' problem, however, was a mystery to James. Gemma apparently knew something that she shouldn't, because poor Sirius got a horribly shocked look on his face after she'd whispered something in his ear. "You wouldn't!" he'd exclaimed but she just nodded her head and said, "Oh yes, _Padfoot_, I would. Don't put it below me."

"Gemma, no!" he'd yelled.

"I will, Black, if you don't behave."

While Sirius paced, James concentrated on thinking of new ways to win over Lily. He'd almost used up all of his ideas already. Sirius interrupted his contemplations, though. "She knows," he said quietly.

Loads of different thoughts raced through James' head. He assumed that "she" was Gemma, but what did she know? There were thousands of Marauder secrets, each one worse that the last. As he reviewed them all in his head, one particular thing stood out.

"Padfoot!" James shouted, "She knows about us being illegal animagi, doesn't she?" Sirius nodded, and James' heart nearly collapsed. If Gemma knew, then Lily probably knew, too, or would know soon.

"Well, not _exactly_. She only knows about me. She's got no clue that you and Wormtail are, too, or that Moony is a werewolf." James sighed. "_Thank Merlin_!" he thought, but he was still extremely worried for Sirius and Moony, and puzzled as to how Gemma knew about Sirius being animagi. Fortunately, Sirius knew the answer to that.

"Apparently, she visits Hagrid sometimes, because that's where she was when she found out. It was that full moon when you were in the hospital wing, because of your… _run-in_ with Evans," James winced as he remembered a full night of Skele-Gro after Lily had removed all of the bones from his left leg. He'd charmed her tie to choke her, and she hadn't been too happy about that. Sirius noticed his expression and patted him on the back. "It's okay, mate," he said, "Just try to forget the whole incident. Sorry about reminding you." Sirius knew how embarrassing it had been for James to have Evans humiliate him right after a big Quidditch victory

Sirius continued, "Anyway, Prongs, she saw me transform. I guess she went into Hagrid's hut before she could see Peter do the same, or to see us go into the Whomping Willow.

"Oh man, Sirius! What're we going to do?" James wasn't worried only for Sirius but for Remus, too. Remus, and all the Marauders, knew that being a werewolf meant being an outcast for life. They all knew that Remus was nowhere near ready for life after Hogwarts. He barely even made it with the rest of the Marauders running around every full moon _with_ him.

If Gemma let something slip, anyone could find out about Remus. What was left of his peaceful life at Hogwarts would be over and done with.

"James, I don't know what to do!"

James' face lit up; he'd thought of something.

"For now," he replied," we submit to the ladies' wishes." Sirius' face fell.

"Not for long, Padfoot! Don't worry, only until tonight. You'd better get some sleep now, and stock up on Chocolate Frogs and Drooble's Best Blowing Gum."

Sirius looked confused, until James said, "Oh – and Padfoot, owl Arthur Weasley, that Gryffindor that graduated a few years ago, and ask him to lend us a tape recorder. I think that's what they're called, anyway."

Sirius' face lit up in understanding, and he ran off to get James' snowy owl, Quaffle.

* * *

Chapter 2!!! Hope ya liked it! I didn't really like it as much as my last chapter, but I promise everything will get better. It's gonna be a little slow at first. Please R&R.  
::::Savanna:::: 


	3. Listening and Lists

Okay, guys; this is it! Chappie #3! Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but I hope this chapter will be worth it. It's about as long as the other two chapters put together. I'll try to put up chapter 4 a little quicker.

Wow! You guys sure know how to make somebody feel good about their work! Thanks for the reviews! Okay, EyesofEmerald does this on her fic, Standing There by You (read it; it's awesome), and I know that a lot of her fans, including me, really appreciate it. So I will be responding individually to each review. Oh - and you all are my VERY FIRST reviewers! So I'm gonna (if you don't mind) give you all little cameos in this ficcy! If you mind, just put it in your next review.

_EyesofEmerald:_ Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I like the name Quaffle, too. I was trying to think of good Quidditch-related names for James' owl, and that one just popped in my head. Thanks so much for the compliments!

_xRazberryGurlx:_ Thanks for reviewing! I can't wait to find out what happens, either. (lol) I checked out your new fic and it's great! I reviewed it.

_living.life.in.the.dark:_ Thanks! The bomb-diggidy? I say that, too! Except I write it BOMB DiGGiDY. hehe. Anywho, don't worry. I won't abandon. I checked out your ficcy, too. Great work!

_MK:_Sadly, you're unable to review (darn!) but I get bumps on your HP boards, so I'm cool. btw, BUMP to your ficcy! Hope work goes better for ya! BUMP to your ficcy again!

**READ:**

Okay, if you guys have _any _suggestions at all, please post them in your review. And I'd also like to know if you like the POV style or the 3rd person style better in my writing. I want to write more of whichever one is best for you. Please let me know!

Well, here goes:

* * *

- Chapter #3 -

_Listening and Lists_

After Lily had finally gotten most of the mold off of her, the first thing she'd done was threaten James with the removal of a few choice parts of his anatomy. She then ran upstairs to, as she put it, "wash off the horrible stench of Potter".

Now Gemma and Jenna waited by their bathroom door for Lily to come out. She'd been in the shower for at least 45 minutes before the girls heard the water stop running. When at last she emerged, she was wrapped in a large scarlet towel with her wet, bright red hair dripping down her back. "I feel refreshed," she said calmly as she went to dig pajamas out of her trunk.

* * *

The two boys pulled James' invisibility cloak over their heads and heaved themselves onto his Nimbus 1590. "Ouch, Prongs! You're pushing me off!" Sirius complained as James launched them into the air.

"Oh, shut it, Padfoot. We're only going next door. Did you remember the sweets, mate, and the tape recorder?"

"Yes," Sirius replied, not really paying attention to a thing James was saying. "Just get us there, and hurry. You know I love flying, mate, but only when it's just me on the room."

"It's not my fault we're uncomfortable! _You're_ just fat! I take girls up on this thing all the time, and none of _them_ ever complain."

"That's because _they_ like being huddled up against you. I know I'm your best mate and everything but we're not _that_ close." Sirius said. "And I'm not fat!" James decided that they'd done enough joking around and flew a yard higher. Sirius, unfortunately for him, slid off the back of the broom. "_This isn't going to work_," James thought, and flew down to Sirius, who was moaning in very exaggerated distress. "Are you alright, Padfoot?" he asked.

"I might be," he gasped, "It's a good thing I forgot to bring the tape recorder, or I would've crushed it when I landed. I can't take another ride on that broomstick with you, though, Prongs. I _barely_ survived the last one! I wish _my _broom wasn't broken." Sirius winced in another attempt to make James believe that he was actually in pain. James wasn't fooled.

James gave him a stern look. "Whad'ya mean you forgot the tape recorder?" he asked. "Didn't I make sure you had it before we took off?"

"Maybe," Sirius replied, "but since when have I paid attention to anything you say?" He screamed again, making a horrible "in-pain" face.

"Go get it, then. And you're not hurt; don't pursue acting. I'll figure out something so that we don't have to stay on the broom togeth er while you're gone," James said.

Sirius started toward James' room with a pretended crestfallen look on his face. "I can _too_ act, Prongs. _You_ just don't recognize talent. It could be dancing on your nose wearing a house elf's pillowcase and you still wouldn't see it," he muttered. Sirius couldn't hide his bark-like laughter, though, and the two boys ended up rolling on the ground in amusement.

After a good 5 minutes of this, they got up and Sirius started off toward James' room again.

"Watch out for Libby!" James shouted at Sirius' retreating figure. "You know she fancies you!" Sirius chuckled back at James as he opened the back door and went inside the Potter Mansion. Libby was one of the Potters' house elves. She had taken a _special_ liking to Sirius when he'd run away from his pureblood-crazed Slytherin family in the summer before his 3rd year to live with the Potters.

He was gone for quite a while, ten minutes. "Probably staring at himself in the mirror again," James muttered to himself as he sat on the grass; he might as well be comfortable while he waited.

After waiting another 5 minutes, James heard the back door open and close again. Sirius came outside, holding the tape recorder and a bag that was more than likely stuffed with sweets. He walked over to James, his breathing quick. "I got the sweets!" he yelled, as if they were the most important thing in the world.

"Padfoot," James said, looking Sirius up and down, "did you spend fifteen minutes in there changing clothes?" Sirius wasn't wearing the same blue jeans and T-shirt that he had been before he went into the house. James could also tell that his hair had been brushed recently. "_Sirius is so self-conscious,_" he thought as he stood up.

"No!" Sirius exclaimed. "I spent _5_ minutes finding the tape recorder – your room is a mess, by the way – and _five _minutes changing clothes." Sirius stuck his nose in the air and pretended to look offended.

James laughed. "I had grass stains!" Sirius yelled defensively.

"Where'd you spend the _other _five minutes, then?"

"Avoiding Libby. I caught her snogging a picture of me." He heard James snickering and blushed crimson. "She was in her closet, Prongs. I couldn't help seeing. It's not like I was spying on her or anything!"

"A bit defensive, are we Padfoot? I never said you were," James chuckled. "But who's to say that it wasn't just the _picture_ she was snogging? What if she wanted a little fun with the _original_ Sirius, huh mate?" He elbowed Sirius in the stomach and winked at him suggestively.

"Come off it," Sirius said.

While Sirius had been retrieving the tape recorder, James had been thinking about how to get both of them to Gemma's second story balcony with just one broom. After considering a number of different options, he settled on the simplest one. James would fly up, land on the balcony, and hide behind something. From there, he would throw the broom and invisibility clack down to Sirius, who would be waiting below. James explained the plan to Sirius, and then they went their separate ways – James to the balcony on the broom, and Sirius below it on foot.

Once Sirius was up on the balcony, they hid James' Nimbus behind a small tree. The two of them slipped under the invisibility cloak. After they'd positioned themselves in a corner of Gemma's room by the door, Sirius spoke. "Where are they, Prongs?" he asked, already sounding bored.

"I don't know," James answered, unwrapping a Chocolate Frog and stuffing it into his mouth. James hadn't even finished reading the card (Morgana) when he heard the light footsteps and laughter of 3 girls making their way down the hallway. They were all still snickering as they came through the door in their pajamas. "I can't believe Petunia actually _believed_ that!" Gemma exclaimed.

"She did," Lily assured her, amusement in her bright green eyes. James and Sirius exchanged glances and wondered what the girls were laughing at.

Lily plopped down on Gemma's bed; the other two girls sat on the floor beside it. "So, now that we're done talking about our summers, what do you guys want to do?" Lily asked. Gemma shrugged, but went over to a desk, where she picked up a long piece of parchment.

Lily and Jenna got up and walked over to where Gemma was standing. "What's that?" Lily asked. James and Sirius were inquiring the exact same thing.

"A list," Gemma said, "of all the things I that want to do before the summer is over." Lily looked amused, but said, "Okay, then! Let's get started. What's the first thing on the list?"

"A Chocolate Frog eating contest," Gemma replied. Lily nodded and all three girls went over to Gemma's bed and lifted up the bed skirt. Under the bed was the most immense stash of Chocolate Frogs that James and Sirius had ever seen. James had to hold Sirius' mouth closed so he wouldn't drool. "Stay under control, mate," he whispered.

The girls were already getting started on their competition. "3…2…1…" they counted, then all yelled "GO!" at the same time. James and Sirius watched in both amusement and amazement as the girls gobbled down the Chocolate Frogs at a rate of about 6-8 per minute. "I could do better," Sirius informed James. James was sure that he could; Sirius was like a human vacuum when it came to food.

The two still stared as the girls guzzled down more and more chocolate. They became a little more alert when James was hit in the head by a stray Chocolate Frog wrapper thrown by Lily.

For a full five minutes the girls ate, until Gemma checked the clock, and announced that time was up. She counted the number of chocolates each girl had left, wiped her mouth, and declared, "Lily Evans! I would like to present you with the honor of coming in -," Lily's face lit up, "_dead_ last in out official Chocolate Frog eating competition." Lily's face fell, but she picked herself back up and punched Gemma lightly on the shoulder.

"Now," Gemma said in an anchorwoman-like speech, "I would like to present to you, ladies and gentleman, the _real_ winner of the contest… Miss Jenna Waters!" Jenna jumped up and hugged her twin, still a little hyped up on sugar. She bowed to no one in particular, saying, "Thank you, thank you!" over and over again while blowing kisses. Her wavy black hair flew everywhere as she twirled about.

James and Sirius chuckled at the chocolate-covered girls and waiting for them to say something interesting and secretive. That was when they would turn on the tape recorder.

_

* * *

_

_Lily's POV_

The twins and I had already had a Chocolate Frog eating contest, stood on our head for fifteen minutes straight, and figured out who could spit the farthest (I won) before the really difficult items on "Gemma's List of Things to Do Before the Summer is Over" started showing up. I don't know _what_ Gemma was thinking when she wrote, "_Steal Mum and Dad's knickers_", but it couldn't have been good. It was I who got stuck with having to do that particular thing, and let me tell you, it was _not_ easy. I must've dodged 5 house elves on the way down to Mr. And Mrs. Waters' room. I got back safe and uncaught, though.

Gemma was the unfortunate one that had to hit on one of her house elves. Jenna got off extremely easy, though, only having to wear her pajamas backwards for the rest of the night.

There _were_ a few things on the list that I certainly didn't mind doing. For example: the three of us snuck over to the Potters' house, stole James and Sirius' wands, and threw them into their swimming pool. I also quite enjoyed stuffing James' pillow with Zonko's Non-Removable Itching Powder that just got worse if it was scratched. He deserved it, for covering me in that nasty molded ham!

Everything went okay up until we got to number 27 on the list – "Play Magical Truth or Dare". _Regular_ Truth or Dare would've been fine with me, but _Magical_ Truth or Dare was a completely different case.

It was played with a crystal ball type-thing, that used your own mind to decide on the particular question or dare it would give you. You had to place your hand on the ball, and remove it; then the fog in it would clear, and words would appear, informing you of what you had to do or say. It would start with little things, like chewing on socks, but it would gradually get more difficult, digging deeper and deeper into your mind to find your most guarded secrets and fears.

If you lied, the horrid device would flash red and beep loudly until you did, driving you crazy. If you didn't participate in the dare, you would have to do a consequence. At the beginning of the game, the players would pick out different things for each other to do if they chose not to do their dare. These things were called "consequences". Gemma and Jenna had picked out the _worst possible_ consequence for me that they could imagine.

"Lily," Jenna said, grinning after a few minutes of whispering with Gemma. "Your consequence…" she said slowly. "Merlin! Get it over with already!" I yelled, rushing her. She jumped at my sudden outburst and continued. "You have to go up to James Potter the next time you see him, and say, 'I love you James Potter, you sexy beast!'" I started to get up and rant at them, but Gemma stopped me.

"Wait a minutes, Lils," she said. "We're not done. Continue, Jen." I was ready to murder her.

Jenna continues, "Then, you'll jump into his arms and kiss him so passionately that his knees give in!"

"And _act like you mean it_," Gemma added. "It has to be completely and utterly convincing, tongue and all." My heart fell. "Don't worry, Lils. You've only got to do it if you don't do what the 'Magical Truth or Dare' ball says to." That didn't make me feel any better.

I almost punched the two of them right then and there, but I held myself. I was so mad! There was no possible way to get out of doing consequences, unless, of course, they went against wizarding law. When you agreed to do the consequence or put your hand on the crystal ball, it was like signing a magical contract. If you didn't do what you were supposed to, you would get _very_ nasty words_ permanently _tattooed on your forehead. I didn't fancy that happening.

All I could do was cross my fingers and hope that I didn't get anything too bad. Then I got an evil genius-like idea; I couldn't change what I'd gotten, but I _could_ assign the twins horrible consequences as payback for mine, and I did.

"For both of you," I said, rather pleased with myself for coming up with the brutal idea that I had, "the consequences, should you choose not to accept a dare or answer a question -" They looked at me anxiously, " – is to sleep _naked_ in the 6th year boys dormitory at Hogwarts for the whole first week of school."

They gave me the most murderous glares I'd ever seen (besides my own, of course) and tried to make me change their consequences, even though they knew I couldn't. I just grinned. The damage had already been done, and I was extremely proud of myself.

* * *

James and Sirius sat still in their corner under the invisibility cloak, crossing their fingers and hoping that the girls would have to accept consequences. James was extremely excited about the prospect of a kiss from Lily, and Sirius was always happy to have naked girls in the dorm – let alone _twins_.

Sirius elbowed James out of his fantasies of Lily as the game started. Jenna was going first. She said "Dare," put her hand on the ball, removed it, and waited anxiously for her orders. She glanced over at Gemma and said, "Why in the _world_ did you get us into this?" Gemma just smirked and pointed at the crystal ball; the fog was clearing out and words were starting to appear.

The girls read the words aloud. "Pick and eat one of your own boogers," they read. Jenna made a disgusted face. "I don't want to!" she yelled. Lily grinned and reminded her, "It's either that or the _consequence_. I, personally, wouldn't really mind a week less of your horrid snoring." Jenna threw a scarlet pillow at her and contemplated her situation. "Anything's better that Peter Pettigrew seeing me naked," she muttered. "And I'd be _sleeping_! Who knows what they'd do to me? I don't even think they have an extra bed in that dorm!" She shivered at the thought of having to do the consequence.

Sirius grinned. They really didn't have an extra bed. He got James' attention with an elbow to his ribs and whispered, "I'd be more than happy to share mine." James hushed him, a bit disgusted, and focused his attention back on the girls and their game.

Jenna looked like she was about to gag. He could tell she didn't want to eat a booger, but she had to. Still looking as if there was something dead underneath her nose, she reached to get a tissue, blew her nose, and swallowed the tissue with all its contents. "Eurgh!" all the girls yelled; the boys worked very hard at not laughing.

Jenna got up and ran to the door, nearly smashing it into James and Sirius in their corner as she flung it open. "Where are you going?" Lily and Gemma asked in unison. "To brush my teeth!" she yelled while dashing down the hallway to the bathroom. While she was gone, Lily and Gemma played _Rock, Paper, Scissors_ to see who would take the next turn. Lily won, so Gemma would have to go next; she swore at Lily under her breath. Jenna returned after five minutes of hardcore teeth brushing, and they continued the game.

Gemma picked Truth; no one would say "Dare" for a while after Jenna's disgusting experience. She put her hand on the crystal ball, removed it, and waited anxiously for he results, just as Jenna had. She swept her long black curtain of hair into a side ponytail and drummed her fingers absentmindedly on a near-lying book.

Sirius crossed his fingers and whispered to himself, "Please be something horrible; Please be something horrible…"

"Look!" Lily cried as words appeared in the crystal ball. Sirius stopped his whispering and read the words to James. "'Who do you think the hottest guy at Hogwarts is?' That's easy!" he whispered, "me!"

Gemma cheeks turned a deep scarlet as she mumbled something under her breath. "Come again?" Jenna asked. "Sirius Black!" Gemma yelled, frustrated. Lily and Jenna were rolling on the floor laughing the next second; Gemma turned redder and redder.

"I never said I _liked_ him!" she shouted. "I just think he's cute!"

"Correction," Jenna stated, trying her hardest to hold her laughter in long enough to spit a few words out. "You think he's _hot_. And if _that's_ not enough for you, you think he's the hottest guy at _Hogwarts_!" No longer able to control herself, she went back to rolling on the floor with Lily.

Sirius elbowed James again and gloated, "I _told_ you it was me, mate! Even Gemma thinks so!"

"She's stark raving mad, Padfoot, remember?" Sirius nodded, but the grin on his face remained.

Another 30 minutes passed by without any dares, during which Lily revealed that she hadn't learned to ride a bike until she was 12 years old, Gemma told about a secret relationship with a Slytherin in her 2nd year, and Jenna let the others know about a number of disgusting habits. James and Sirius had every word on tape, too. That tape would be a lifesaver for the Marauders. Having blackmail on the girls meant that nobody would ever find out about their being animagi, or Remus' condition. The tape lifted a huge weight off of their shoulders. They couldn't wait to see the looks on the girls' faces when they played their private conversations back to them.

James re-crossed his fingers for the fourth or fifth time that night as Lily placed her hand on the crystal ball and removed it again. The fog cleared and he heard Lily let out a yelp of horrified surprise.

"I can't go out with Severus Snape! I can't take a _day_ with him, let alone a _week_!" James peered at the words in the crystal ball. They read "Date Severus Snape for an entire week". James let out a gasp. He would _never_ let Lily, the love of his life, his one and only, into the greasy arms of that stupid Slytherin.

_

* * *

Lily's POV_

I glared at the crystal ball with fury. I'd never go out with Snape! That stupid git that thought that purebloods were the center of everything, NEVER!

I was torn inside between my two greatest hatreds. Should I let Potter think that I'm in love with him, and risk his arrogance taunting me every second for the rest of my life? I could clearly imagine James blackmailing me. He'd more than likely tell everyone at Hogwarts that we'd slept together, and that I was utterly infatuated with him. Eurgh…

But going out with Snape for a week would be slow and painful torture, torture that I wasn't willing to submit myself to. I'd be made fun of forever. I buried my head in my hands and made my decision. I muttered, "consequence," my face reddening in anger and embarrassment with every passing second.

The twins exchanged glances and chuckled at me. I wanted to murder them. I wanted to attach boulders to their legs and shove them into the backyard swimming pool, but I restrained myself. I'd have to wait until we got back to Hogwarts and do something even worse.

_

* * *

James' POV_

James rejoiced. Lily had chosen him over Snape! She was such a violent shade of red at the moment that James figured he would be able to fry eggs on her forehead had he wanted to.

Sirius gave James a quick thumbs-up and patted him on the back. "I'm tired," he said, and stretched. Unfortunately for he and James, he stretched out a little too far. He feet stuck out the invisibility cloak and it slid off their faces.

The girls were quick to notice. Sirius and James looked at each other in panic and made a mad dash for the balcony.

"Oh, no you don't!" Gemma yelled, and the twins went after the boys. James reached his Nimbus in the nick of time and flew down below the balcony, temporarily forgetting Sirius. He exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and started flying towards the Potter Mansion.

* * *

That was chapter 3! Hope ya liked it! Please R&R and answer my question that was at the top. I'll try to get chapter 4 out soon.

::::Savanna::::


	4. Getting Caught and Consequences

Ok, ya... I was just reading a fic the other day and I realized, "Hey! I don't have a disclaimer!" so here it is:  
_I own a rubber band, the computer I'm typing at, and a banana, but not any of the characters you recognize. They're all Master JK's.  
_Wow! Finally, I've gotten out chapter 4! I'm sooooo sorry that it's taken me so long, but hopefully you guys will read it anyway. Remember to let me know what ya think!  
Chapter 5 might not be long, so I can get it posted as soon as possible, just to let you guys know, because I'm reallly sorry for the delay on this chapter.  
Thanks again to all my reviewers!

_EyesofEmerald:_ Thanks again for reviewing, and for letting me know what you think about the 1st person 3rd person thing. I don't really know if I put more of one or the other in this chapter or not, because this one was almost finished being written by the time I got ch3 out.But I'll be sure to take into consideration what you said in chapter 5!

_living.life.in.the.dark: _lol about yor friend. She sounds great!Similar tome, actually... I always do stuff like that to my friends, then turn around and get their forgiveness by helping them out with stuff. hehe... And thanks _so_ much for mentioning my fic on yours!

_MK:_ Yay! You got to review! I'm so happy! I didn't get the chance to really put a lot of"nothing" stuff in this chappie, but chappie five is all nothing, just for you, MK! I'm thinking maybe Water Quidditch. hehe... Yup, I feel strange reviewing on these boards, too, because on the HP Message Boards at WB, you can just say "bump!" and everyone knows what you're talking about, but here I'm afraid people might think I'm crazy or something. I could just imagine it - "_Bump? What is she talking about? I'm SO reporting that! ABUSE!_" lol. Anywho, now go post on your ficcy, because I love it! Thanks for your suggestions and opinions and stuff btw. lol. I almost wrote "onions" instead of "opinions". I must be crazy...

_emeraldhazel:_ Thanks so much for reviewing! I posted for ya. hehe... Cool penname!

_EvilQueenHannah:_ Wow! Thanks so much! Oh - from your review on my other fic, yes I do go on the HP boards on WB. Constantly. It's like, my life. lol. My screenname is h.b.princess, if you've ever seen me there. You? I'm always wanting to put "bump!" on my reviews here, but I'm afraid to because people might not know what I'm talking about and report me for abuse or something. hehe... I probably won't update on my other fic for a while, though (Thrice Defied Him). Sorry 'bout that. Just lettin' ya know. I really want to focus on this one for now.

_xRazberryGurlx:_ Thanks for reviewing again! I'm still sad that you're at a stopping place on your fic; it was really good. But I can't wait till you start up your new one!

* * *

- Chapter #4 -

_Getting Caught and Consequences_

* * *

James didn't realize that he'd forgotten Sirius until he had already flown halfway back to his house. When he heard a loud scream, he knew that his friend was in trouble. Being the brave Gryffindor that he was – or at least _thought _he was , James turned around and raced full-speed back to the Waters Mansion to rescue the poor guy. James knew that the girls could be horribly brutal, and he just couldn't bring himself to leave his best mate to that gruesome fate, even if it meant assuring his own safety by not going to help him.

He was almost to Gemma's balcony when he felt something push him down towards the ground. Nervous, he landed, and quickly climbed off his broomstick, holding onto it for dear life. He could hear Sirius' high-pitched, girlish shrieks above him. "James!" he yelled, "_Help!_" James started to climb back onto his broom to get to his friend and save him, but again he felt the hands, pushing him down.

The invisible hands pushed James towards the Waters' backyard. They stopped forcing him forward when they reached the area near their swimming pool. James looked around and wondered what was going on. "Who's here?" he called, panicky. It couldn't have been one of the girls; they were busy torturing poor Sirius at the moment. He knew that he was wrong, though, when Lily appeared out of thin air in front of him, holding a Nimbus 1570 and his own invisibility cloak.

* * *

_Lily's POV_

Gemma's bedroom was in utter chaos. The twins chased after Potter and Black, screaming at them at the top of their lungs. I, on the other hand, was frozen where I stood, shocked. It was _extremely _difficult for me to soak in everything that had happened in the past two minutes. With the discovery of the boys in Gemma's room, and all of the secrets that they' more than likely heard, I wasn't exactly in a good state.

The boys were running toward the balcony, where I suspected that they would have hidden their brooms for escape.

I looked around the chaotic room and noticed flashes of light. The crystal ball was flashing red, and emitting horrible noises that could more than likely annoy a banshee. I sprung into action. Looking closer around the room for anything that could help me get to stupid Potter quicker, I noticed a silvery substance on the floor in the corner – the corner that James and Sirius had been sitting in. I walked over to where it was, somehow miraculously able to move my limbs again, and ran my fingers through it. "_It wasn't liquid," _I realized. It was _cloth_. I realized what I had in my hands when my fingers disappeared. I was holding an _invisibility cloak_, something very rare, and I'd have bet anything that Potter and Black had been hiding under the thing for quite a while listening in on our private conversations.

The loud beeping of the crystal ball taunted me, driving me crazy with its constant reminding of what the consequence that I had to do. I was furious at that stupid thing, at James, at Sirius, and even at the twins for giving me the consequence in the first place.

I was mostly worried about my forehead, though; I didn't want to walk around the rest of my life with the word 'BOGEY' written on my head. I knew what I had to do to prevent that happening, and though I would've rather not have had to, I took action. I ran out of the room with the invisibility cloak, ignoring Sirius' desperate cries for help.

I ran down to the bathroom where my trunk was, hastily grabbed my Nimbus 1570, and raced through the front door and out onto the lawn.

Looking around the side of the house, I saw Potter flying towards Gemma's balcony – no doubt trying to save Sirius from the twins' twisted torture. I slipped the invisibility cloak over my head, hopped on the broom, and flew toward him.

He had a worried look on his face. I could understand why; Black's terrified shrieks could be heard from where he was flying near the balcony, and he was more than likely worried for his best mate's safety. Gemma and Jenna were pretty creative when it came to extracting information, and extremely harsh when they didn't get what they wanted. For all James knew, he could get Sirius back as a twisted blob of goo, or even a tomato - mutated.

I flew around over to and above him and sort-of nudged him toward the ground. He looked really freaked out and tried to fly back up toward the balcony, but I just pushed him down again. This time, he landed. He held that broom for dear life – probably thought I was some sort of Death Eater. I led him all the way to an area by the Waters' swimming pool before I stopped pushing him. His eyes darted around, confused.

"Who's there?" he called, sounding alarmed. I silently laughed at him. I could tell that he was utterly terrified.

Taking a deep breath and wishing that I didn't have to do what I did, I went and stood directly in front of him, and pulled off the invisibility cloak. The surprised look on his face and the gasp that I heard come from him was one I had rarely witnessed. I frowned, and stepped forward.

* * *

Lily and James stood staring at each other for a long moment; James was in shock, Lily was dreading the kiss that was sure to come soon. Finally, after what seemed like ages of silence to the two teenagers, James spoke. "Why did you bring me out here?" he asked.

"Well, for one, no one is able to see us on this side of the house – at least without looking pretty hard," Lily pointed out. "As for the other thing, I believe you already know what I have to do."

James let a grin split across his face and nodded vigorously; he was glad that Lily would go through with the consequence. He, personally, didn't think she'd be very attractive with "WARTY BUM" scrawled across her forehead, and, of course, he'd wanted to kiss her since seen her at Hogwarts in his very first year. How did she get a hold of his invisibility cloak, though? She answered that question for him, though, as if she knew that he was thinking it.

"While Gemma and Jenna chased after Black, and _you_ ran off like death was on your tail, _I_ noticed something silvery on the floor – an _invisibility cloak_." She picked the cloak up off the ground and dangled it in front of James' face, taunting him like a cat-owner dangling yarn in front of the cat's face. He gulped.

Lily continued, circling him like a vulture considering its prey. "Now, just _how_ would someone be able to get a hold of an invisibility cloak?" she asked. "They _are_ very rare, aren't they, Potter?" James was sweating; he was nervous. Lily smirked. If she'd have to kiss Potter, she wanted the comfort of knowing that she had made him completely miserable first.

"M- my Dad gave it to me. It's a family heirloom" Lily looked as if she believed his response, but wasn't happy that he'd actually had a good excuse for possessing such a rare item. She'd wanted to make him miserable! How could that happen if the stupid boy had an answer for everything? "_Might as well try again._" She thought, and went on.

"I assume that you, and the other Marauders, use this thing in all of your pranking expeditions," Lily said questioningly, sounding interested. James felt relieved; maybe he wouldn't get yelled at after all. He nodded.

"And for sneaking around school?" He nodded again. "And for SPYING ON MY FRIENDS AND I!" James flinched. He'd been wrong – Lily had been planning on yelling at him after all. Her calm mood had vanished. She was glaring at him with every ounce of hatred that she could possibly muster.

Unfortunately for Lily, though, James was used to these glares, and was unaffected by them. So she continued.

"James Harry Potter! You selfish, pig-headed, conniving, arrogant, irresponsible, prat! How long were you there, intruding on our privacy like you had the right to?"

James' arrogant attitude showed itself as he grinned cockily and replied, "Long enough." Lily's bright green eyes widened in shock, then narrowed with her anger. "_Stupid Potter_," she thought, but she was still a little relieved that he would know that she wasn't kissing him out of her own free will when she did it. He'd at least know that she'd been forced to do it.

"Now, Evans," James said tauntingly with a mischievous glint in his eye, "I seem to remember a certain _consequence_. Do _you_ remember a consequence, Flower?"

"Don't call me Flower."

"Fine. Do _you_ remember a consequence, _Lils_?"

"Nor Lils," Lily ordered menacingly.

"Okay, _Evans_!" James shouted; Lily was beginning to test his patience. "I asked if you remembered the consequence! Do you remember it or not?" James' temper had gotten the better of him, and it shocked Lily a little.

"If you must know," she replied, "Yes." Lily knew he remembered; she just answered to calm him down. She narrowed her eyes at James and prepared herself for what she had to do. "_Lily!_" she thought to herself, "_Get a grip on your self! He knows that you're not serious! Just go on and get it over with!_" Lily still wasn't keen on kissing James Potter, though, especially with all of Jenna and Gemma's _specific_ directions involved.

"Well then," said James, "Are you going to kiss me? Or would you rather have 'TROLL BREATH' permanently tattooed across your forehead? Ooooh! Or maybe 'PUFFSKEIN KISSER'!" Her face was turning red; James could tell that he was getting on Lily's nerves, so he continued to announce odd names and phrases to go on Lily's forehead.

Lily herself contemplated the situation. She didn't want to kiss James, but she had to, and she was tired of his mocking. "_Why not use the element of surprise to my advantage?_" she asked herself. "_Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll faint or something,_" She got ready to make her move.

James was just about to suggest 'FLOOFACE' when Lily kissed him. He didn't respond immediately, out of pure shock. Once he finally realized what was going on, he almost fainted, but remembered the twins' instructions to Lily. She had to kiss him _until his knees gave in_, and James had no intention of letting that happen. He wanted to hold on to the moment as long as he possibly could. Mustering up as much mental strength as his mind would allow, James took control of the kiss and thanked Merlin inside his head that Gemma and Jenna had been so specific with their instructions for Lily's consequence.

* * *

Gemma and Jenna had tied Sirius to a chair and were circling around him, acting unknowingly similar to the way Lily in the way that she had circled James, taunting him with the invisibility cloak.

"How long were you listening?" Gemma asked sharply.

"Long enough," Sirius replied. You know, we've still got time enough for a few more rounds of Magical Truth or Dare if you guys would like to play. Personally, I _really_ wouldn't mind the two of you sleeping naked in my dormitory." He grinned and added, "We really _don't_ have an extra bed, you know. I'd be fine with sharing –"

His sentence was cut off by a violent slap from Jenna. "Shut your dirty mouth, Black," she whispered menacingly, "and get your mind out of the gutter."

"Aaaw…" Sirius taunted, "Have I touched a nerve? _You'll_ side with me, won't you Gemma? You know – since I'm _the hottest guy at Hogwarts_?" He gave Gemma a cocky, knowing grin, and waited for a reply. Gemma threw a similar grin back at him a simply replied, "Bark. Bark."

Sirius' face went deathly pale. "Call it even?" he asked. She nodded her head and Sirius' face regained its color. Jenna gave them both confused looks. She brushed Sirius and Gemma's strange conversation to the back of her mind, though, when Gemma moved to continue in their questioning of Sirius.

"Calling it even on –" she hesitated, "_that_ doesn't get you out of your… interrogation," Gemma said. The color drained from Sirius' face once more.

"Sirius Black, if you tell a single soul anything you've heard and/or seen here in this room tonight, let me warn you – "

"Look!" Sirius interrupted, and jerked his head toward the crystal ball.

Gemma looked confused. "What are you on about, Black?" she asked. "What is wrong with our Truth or Dare ball? Have you developed a liking to pranking _it_ as well?"

Sirius started to reply, but Jenna answered for him. "It's not what _is_ wrong with the ball, Gemma, that you should be considering," she said, "but what's _not_ wrong with it."

Gemma still looked confused, up until Sirius explained. "The Truth or Dare ball flashes red and makes noise like murder when a player in the game is _not_ doing their consequence, right Gem?" She nodded, and he continued. "If Evans _wasn't_ out there doing her consequence – kissing Prongs - right now, it would be going off, right?"

Gemma nodded.

"Notice that the ball is _not_ doing anything."

A look of understanding dawned on Gemma's face. Her eyes grew wide. She untied Sirius' bonds and ordered, "Come on. We're going to find out what our friends are up to."

Sirius jumped out of his chair quickly, ropes sliding off of his body as he moved. The three teenagers gave each other mischievous grins and ran out of the bedroom to find Lily and James, and spy on them.

They finally arrived behind a few bushes by the Waters' swimming pool after checking three other places: James' room, the Potter's Quidditch pitch, and the area under Gemma's balcony. They got to their hiding spot just in time to witness James taking control of the kiss he was sharing with Lily.

"It looks to me like they're both fighting a losing battle," Gemma stated, sounding like a narrator on the Discovery Channel reporting the action of gazelles in Africa. "Poor James is trying to control his raging hormones, white Lily is attempting to shove away her ever-present feelings for him."

Sirius chuckled. "What do you guys say to a truce? Because of what I _know_ to be a common goal –"

He didn't even finish his sentence before Jenna and Gemma stuck out their hands and roughly shook his own.

"It's settled, then," Sirius declared. "_We_ are going to help Lily discover her feeling for Prongsie, and help James to be a little more… attractive to her." The twins nodded in agreement. "We've got to go through with this, no matter what it takes."

"No matter what it takes," the twins repeated.

"We all saw the look on Lily's face when she was kissing him. She liked it! Her eyes were closed. Lily likes James Potter, and she can't deny it any longer – not if _we_ have anything to do with it."

All three nodded together, sharing a determined expression, shook hands once more, and turned back to watching the still-going kiss between their two friends Lily and James had apparently not heard a single bit of the plotting conversation that had gone on not ten feet away from them.

* * *

_Lily's POV_

As Potter took control of the kiss, my mind almost exploded with fury, and with all of the thoughts running through my head at one time. What did that idiot think he was doing? It finally hit me after a few seconds of hard thinking, that Gemma and Jenna had been _extremely_ specific with their consequence instructions. I don't know why I hadn't figured it out before; I had been thinking about it only a few minutes before.

Potter _knew_ that I had to kiss him, as the twins put it, "so passionately that his knees gave in". Therefore, I couldn't stop until his bloody knees gave in, and James was definitely taking advantage of that. He was trying his hardest to stay in control of the effect that I knew I had on him; I would fix that.

Taking the twins' instructions to heart, I kissed him as seemingly "passionately" that I was able to; I knew that he'd have to fall to the ground _sometime _soon. I even closed my eyes! I have _no_ idea why I did that, though; it's not like _he _would be able to notice it, anyway. Just impulse, I guess.

Before I could stop myself, I began to think about what I was doing. I was kissing bloody _James Potter_, the person that I had held an extremely passionate loathe for over the past five years, the one person that I would go to any lengths just to _ignore_! I was determined to get out of that situation, so I did the only thing I could have done – I deepened the kiss. I kissed the crazy hormonal boy as passionately as I possibly could.

Unfortunately for me, I realized too late what I was getting myself into. Potter turned out to be an _awesome _kisser. What was wrong with me? I absolutely could _not_ find Potter attractive in any way! I couldn't! This was the boy that was my rival, my enemy! Stupid James…

On the good side, though, my plan worked. After approximately another five minutes of what I convinced myself to be absolute torture, his knees buckled in and he fell to the ground. I pulled away and glared at the panting form below me.

"Take that, Potter," I said, and walked off.

* * *

_James' POV_

I lay sprawled out on the ground, breathing heavily as a variety of thoughts made their way through my confused mind. The kiss I'd shared with Lily was wonderful; it had seemed so _real_ to me. But I knew it couldn't have been. She'd _had_ to act like she meant it.

It'd tried my hardest to keep in control, to stay standing, but I was no match for the effect that Lily's kiss had taken on my stupid hormonal body. If Lily could _fake_ that much "passion", I couldn't even imagine what the real thing would be like! Man, I wished I knew…

I sighed and stood up. My knees were still a little weak, but they'd manage to hold me up for a while; I still had to let Padfoot know what had happened. Of course, I'd leave out the whole collapsing-on-my-knees part. Sirius would never let me live that down if he knew about it.

Only after thinking for a whole minute about Padfoot, did I realize that he was still trapped by the twins, probably being tortured in more horrible ways than I could think of, than I even _wanted_ to think of. Gemma and Jenna could be absolutely _brutal_ – there was no telling what they would do when put to the test, when mad enough. And right then, they weren't just mad; they were utterly _furious_.

I snatched up the invisibility cloak, jumped on my Nimbus and flew off, taking one last look at Lily's perfect retreating form and wishing that she were mine.

Surprisingly, there was no one in Gemma's room when I arrived there. I looked around for a while, double-checking for anyone that might be there, hiding. Not finding the twins or Sirius, I flew over to my house, hoping that Sirius would be there.

I walked into my bedroom to a very unexpected sight. Gemma and Jenna were sitting on Sirius' bed, smiling at me as I walked through the door.

"Hello, James," they said together.

"Er… hi," I replied, extremely confused. "Um… No offense, ladies, but what are you doing in my bedroom?"

"We need to talk to you," Gemma explained to me.

"About what, exactly? Where's Padfoot?"

Jenna replied, "Calm down, James. Sirius is safe at our place, talking to Lily."

I couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous. "What's Sirius doing talking to Lily?" I asked, practically yelling.

"I said calm down!" Jenna yelled. She's obviously caught on to the jealousy in my voice. "He just _happens_ to be attempting to convince our dear Lily of her undying love and/or lust for you, Jamesie." They giggled. I don't know why they found the situation so amusing, but I sure didn't.

"We saw you two out there, you know. Kissing," Gemma told me. They both grinned ear to ear, and I allowed myself to let out a sigh of relief. There was _proof_ that Lily and I had kissed! She couldn't deny it!

Gemma continued, "We probably would've ended up shaving Black's head had he not noticed that our Truth or Dare ball was being oddly quiet. It wasn't flashing red _or _making any horrible racket."

Thank Merlin Padfoot was okay! At least – at the moment he was. Who knew what Lily was capable of doing do the poor man?

"Anyway, we snuck around to see the two of you snogging by the pool," Gemma let me know.

"We figure that you should know – everything looked pretty _real_ from where we were sitting. _Here eyes were closed_, and she was obviously enjoying every minute of it. Though she _will_ deny that she experienced any joy from the kiss if asked about it."

Lily had actually _enjoyed_ the kiss! My life was finally complete! Of course, I could never be sure, but why would Gemma and Jenna lie to me about something so serious? We were pretty good friends – they were the beaters for the Gryffindor Quidditch team; I was captain. I decided to trust their word. I'd check with Sirius later, though, for confirmation, just in case.

"We just came over here to let you know what's going on. Black is over at my house making a bet with Lily at this very moment."

My face lit up. I had a vague idea of what Sirius' terms for the bet were.

"He's betting her that she'll fall in love with _you_ before we graduate from Hogwarts, or at least realize her feelings for you, however vague they might be at the moment."

_That_ was the precise reason why Padfoot and I were best friends. He always had a genius plan. Not that I didn't – his were just better, more creative.

Jenna walked to my window and looked towards the Waters Mansion. "We've got to go," she said. "Sirius is coming. I think he told Lily that he pushed us in the backyard swimming pool and we're now drying ourselves off, or something like that."

"Just a tip," Gemma turned to me and said before exiting my room. "Lily likes it when guys are _subtle_. You know, James – _not_ hitting on her constantly."

I grinned and shut the door behind her as she left. Sitting on my bed and waiting for Padfoot, I thought, "_What did Lily say to Sirius? And what did he bet her?_"

* * *

Well, guys! That was Chapter 4? How did ya like it? Please RR!  
Everyone, check out the fics of everyone else that has reviewed this fic so far! So go check out living.life.in.the.dark's fic, _Fooling With Fate_, that is completely awesome. Go check out EyesofEmerald's fic, _Standing There By You_, which I thoroughly love. It's hilarious.xRazberryGurlx is starting a new fic soon, so check for it to come out! And MK has a completelyawesome and original fic on the WB HP Message Boards called _You Were My Favorite Mistake_.  
So goread them all, guys!

:Savanna:


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